[kennethlindheim]

He has lost Shay Given for the foreseeable future but there was some welcome news for Glenn Roeder last night as Kieron Dyer moved a significant step closer to making his long-awaited Premiership comeback.

And the injury-plagued Newcastle midfielder is confident his troubles are finally behind him, with Dyer having told his manager that a specially-tailored rehabilitation programme has left him in better condition than he has been for several years.

The news that Given is expected to miss several weeks of first-team football having undergone an abdominal operation was tempered to a certain degree by Dyer's progress on the club's training pitches.

A player who has not featured since United's 4-1 win at the Stadium of Light on April 17 has resumed work with Roeder's senior squad and is closing in on a return to action in a black-and-white shirt.

"I have never heard such a positive Kieron Dyer," said the Newcastle boss of a player who has completed his detailed rehabilitation programme outside the North-East under the supervision of a team of leading specialists and fitness experts. "In the way that he has been talking he seems to be very happy with the way things are going. You can see it in how bright his eyes are and in the look on his face.


"Kieron feels that he is physically fitter now than he has been for years and things are positive. He is back with us again now and it's so, so important - I can't stress the importance enough - that he stays fit this season."


Dyer travelled to London with United's first-team squad at the weekend and the stirring manner in which Roeder's team beat West Ham 2-0 at Upton Park cannot have failed to have whetted his appetite.


Previous comebacks have been shortlived and Roeder has given Dyer additional time to work on his fragile fitness this time around in an attempt to ensure he does not suffer further recurrences. It looks an astute move given the implications should the player encounter further problems.


"We have given him a lot of extra time this time to regain full fitness, we felt this was the road to go down," said the United boss. "At the moment it has proved to be correct because he is training flat out at the moment and I mean flat out. He's right up to sprinting speed and has been for the last couple of weeks. He's in great shape and is very happy with himself. He's twisting and turning and we will have to assess where we are in terms of bringing him back in."


Although Dyer is making rapid progress, his return to Premiership action will not be rushed and Roeder is keen to see the 27-year-old in action in a behind-closed-doors game at the club's training ground before he even considers including him in his first-team plans. That could take place sooner rather than later, although all risks will be minimised.


"Kieron feels extremely fit and he can't wait to be involved again," added the United boss. "But I can't say when he will play again. It's important that he has got himself to the level of fitness where he is doing everything in terms of running, he is hammering it every day. But what we need to see happen is for Kieron to play a number of games, one after another, before we can feel comfortable that he is completely over the problems that have hindered him for so long."


Although a peripheral figure at St James's Park in recent times, Dyer remains important to the United cause and, with Shola Ameobi's fitness problems continuing, his return will be timely when it comes. Ameobi is still troubled by a long-standing hip complaint and, having admitted last night that he needs an operation to repair the problem, it seems that it will only be a matter of time before the striker breaks down.


"It is deteriorating," said a player who must be a doubt for tomorrow's trip to Anfield. "I just need to see how long I can go before I need an operation. We will just have to wait and see how long I can keep going."

A fit Kieron Dyer combining with the pace of Duff and Martins, beware defences..